Margret Craver (October 11, 1907 – November 22, 2010) was an American artist and arts educator. She was noted for her

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...

and

holloware Holloware (hollowware, or hollow-ware ) is metal tableware such as sugar bowls, creamers, coffee pots, teapots, soup tureens, hot food covers, water jugs, platters, butter pat plates, and other items that accompany dishware on a table. It d ...

as well as her educational and technical manuals on metalwork.

Early life and career

Craver was born in Kansas City,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

on October 11, 1907. She became interested in metalwork while studying at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

, and after graduation traveled to Europe for study, as training in metalworking techniques was not available in the United States at the time. There she studied under Baron Erik Fleming, at the time the court silversmith to the

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. Craver established the department of jewelry and metalsmithing at the Wichita Arts Association in 1935, and throughout the 1930s she continued to travel the US and abroad for further training in the craft of metalwork. She was introduced to Charles Withers, president of Massachusetts-based Towle Silversmiths, in 1949, and the two were married the next year. She continued to be known professionally under her unmarried name.

Influence on US metalwork

While working in a military hospital during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Craver became interested in the teaching of metalworking as occupational therapy for wounded veterans, finding that the repetitive movements were useful in rehabilitation. She left Wichita to organize metalworking workshops in veteran's hospitals in New York. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Craver developed a series of summer workshops, modeled on similar programs in England, to allow teachers of metalwork to develop advanced skills. She also created a number of films and manuals on metalworking techniques for use by instructors. Because of her efforts, Craver has been credited as instrumental in the revitalization of the craft of

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary grea ...

ing in the United States.

''En résille''

In 1953, Craver first encountered the disused enameling technique '' en résille'', in which enamel-coated metal foil is embedded in glass. Craver revived the technique, researching it over the course of about thirteen years to reproduce and perfect it. Because the technique was not being practiced, and there were no instructional texts in existence, the work was slow, and Craver had to design her own tools. On the technique, Craver said "it took forever, because this was such an ancient technique and no one knew a darn thing about it. I just had to start out and do it myself."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craver, Margret 1907 births 2010 deaths American jewellers 20th-century American women artists American metalsmiths Artists from Kansas City, Missouri University of Kansas alumni Women metalsmiths 20th-century American artists 21st-century American women Women jewellers